After a long dreary winter and drenching spring rains, the warmth of the summer sun can feel so good that we may forget the harmful effects of those warming rays.

That’s why the American Academy of Dermatology designates the first Monday in May “Melanoma Monday.”  This observance reminds us that the risk of getting skin cancer is not only real--it’s one of the fastest growing cancers.

Did You Know?

• Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, accounting for half of all cancers.
• Current estimates are that one in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.
• Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is the most common cancer for 25- to 29-year-olds.
• According to estimates, more  than 76,600 cases of melanoma will occur  this year.

Once melanomas have metastasized, they are often deadly, but new research is giving us hope for new treatments.

Just in the last month, scientists found that gossypin, a flavone originally isolated from the hibiscus plant (H. vitifolius), inhibits the action of two gene mutations that commonly occur in people with melanoma. Gossypin treatment also reduced tumor volume and increased survival rate in mice transplanted with human melanoma tumors containing the two mutated genes.

In another recent study, researchers report that a virus-based melanoma drug TVEC is showing promising early results in a phase 3 trial.

Protect Yourself

Most skin cancers are preventable and survivable if you follow these basic steps:

• Prevent. Seek shade, cover up, and wear at least an SPF 15 sunscreen.
• Detect. Look for new or changing spots on your skin.
• Live. See a dermatologist if you spot anything changing, itching, or bleeding.

The good news is, you don’t have to give up your favorite outdoor activities or that sun-kissed glow to be sun safe. Just remember to wear sunscreen before going outdoors and instead of baking in the sun or a tanning bed, try sunless tanning sprays or lotions.

In addition to lowering your risk of skin cancer, protecting your skin from damaging rays also prevents premature aging—wrinkles and skin discoloration.

A Final Word

If you’re a parent with teenagers, you know that it’s often difficult to convey to them that they are not invincible. Unfortunately skin cancer often strikes young men and women with a history excessive tanning (both indoors and outdoors).

This video is a must-watch for parents and young people.

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Melanoma Monday

American Cancer Society

Medical News Today

With flu outbreaks reaching epidemic levels, many of us are heeding advice to get a flu shot (it’s not too late) and wash our hands frequently. But there’s another tactic you can employ: good nutrition. 

Eating a well-balanced, healthy diet ensures that you take in enough immune-supporting nutrients. Even a small nutritional deficiency can affect the body's ability to stay healthy, said Heather Mangieri, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Flu Fighters

So what foods help support your immune system? Mangieri suggests starting with these:

Protein is part of the body’s defense mechanism. Eat a variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meat, poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products and unsalted nuts and seeds.

Vitamin A helps maintain your immune system and helps keep skin and tissues in your mouth, stomach, intestines and respiratory tract healthy. Get this immune-boosting vitamin from sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, red bell peppers, apricots, milk, eggs or foods labeled vitamin-A fortified, such as milk or cereal.

Vitamin C stimulates the formation of antibodies that support your immune system. Include more of this healthy vitamin in your diet with citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit and tangerines, or red bell pepper, papaya, strawberries, tomato juice or foods fortified with vitamin C, such as some cereals.

Vitamin E works as an antioxidant to neutralize free radicals and promote immune function. Include vitamin E in your diet with fortified foods, sunflower seeds, almonds, sunflower or safflower oil, hazelnuts, peanut butter or spinach.

Zinc helps the immune system work properly and may help wounds heal. Zinc can be found in lean beef, wheat germ, crab, wheat bran, sunflower seeds, black-eyed peas, almonds, milk and tofu.

Other nutrients including vitamin B6, folate, selenium, iron and copper, as well as prebiotics and probiotics, may influence immune response also. Fortified cereals and whole grains are a good source of these B vitamins and minerals. Yogurt, kefir and buttermilk are good sources of prebiotics and probiotics.

"A strong immune system doesn't guarantee your body can fight off every flu bug, but it is a powerful defense," said Mangieri. "Good nutrition is essential to a strong immune response."

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Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 

A new study provides more evidence that aspirin may do more than relieve everyday pain or help prevent a stroke or heart attack. The research builds on a growing number of studies that found a link between aspirin use and a reduced risk of cancer. In this case, the study found a significant reduction in liver cancer.

Among 300,000 people age 50-71, those who took aspirin were 45 percent less likely to die from chronic liver disease and 41 percent less likely to be diagnosed with liver cancer. People who took non-aspirin NSAIDs were 26 percent less likely to die from chronic liver disease but had no reduction in the risk of liver cancer.

The study followed the participants for 10-12 years. In that time, more than 400 participants died from chronic liver disease and 250 developed liver cancer.

Previous research has linked chronic inflammation associated with liver disease to cellular processes that could promote cancer development. Other research has also suggested that aspirin and other types of NSAIDs may help reduce the risk of some cancers.

The known causes of chronic liver disease and liver cancer are hepatitis B and C virus infections and alcohol use. A link with obesity and diabetes also has been suggested. In fact, studies have found that the diabetes drug metformin may reduce the risk of liver cancer by preventing fatty liver disease.

Sources:

HealthDay

Science Daily

In the minds of many, low dose aspirin is an inexpensive way to prevent a heart attack or stroke. But it is important to realize that taking aspirin is not without risks. And for some people, the risks outweigh the benefits of aspirin therapy. So is it right for you?

Inner Workings

Aspirin therapy works by reducing the formation of blood clots that can cause a heart attack and the most common form of stroke.

As for the other side of the equation, aspirin comes with a risk of bleeding in the stomach and brain.

Weighing the Odds

The good news is that we have good data on who is most likely to benefit and when the risks may be too high.

In general, aspirin therapy makes the most sense for people who have already had a heart attack. Their benefit to risk ratio is favorable: for every six people it helps (prevents a heart attack) only one person experiences a bleeding problem.

"If somebody already has evidence of cardiovascular disease, there's no question he or she should be on an aspirin regimen unless there are some major bleeding issues or an allergy that prevents taking aspirin," said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of cardiology at the VA Boston Healthcare System.

For healthy people who do not have a history of cardiovascular problems the benefit of aspirin therapy is less pronounced. On average, aspirin only helps two people for ever one person it harms. For this reason, European cardiologists don’t recommend aspirin to prevent heart disease in healthy people.

The decision to take aspirin daily becomes less clear for people who have risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, high blood pressure or high cholesterol or other health conditions. Taking aspirin then becomes a highly individual decision that is best considered with a doctor’s advice.

Sources:

WebMd

Harvard Medical School

Playing sports can be a wonderful experience for kids, but in the back of every parent’s mind is always the thought, “but what if my child gets hurt?”

Statistically speaking, parent’s fears are not unfounded. Last year there were nearly 2 million sports-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency rooms and doctors offices—and that’s just the tally for three fall sports (football, soccer and volleyball).

As a parent, do you take the “no guts, no glory” attitude and hope for the best? Or do you just cover your eyes when your son gets steam-rolled by a burly middle linebacker twice his size?

Fortunately, there are a few steps that parents and young athletes can take to minimize the risk of injury. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the STOP Sports Injuries campaign offer the following tips:

• Have a pre-season physical examination and follow your doctor's recommendations.
• Always wear the appropriate protective gear, such as helmets, mouth guards, pads or fitted cleats.
• Take time to warm up and cool down properly with low-impact exercises that gradually increase or slow heart rate.
• Make sure to do strength training and stretching.
• Never play through the pain. If you have an injury, seek medical help.
• Check the weather report in order to avoid heat illness or wet, slippery conditions that can lead to injuries.
• Drink enough to stay hydrated. If you wait until you're thirsty, it may be too late to hydrate properly.
• Don't overtrain. If you develop pain or discomfort, decrease your training time and intensity. This will lower your risk of injury and help you avoid burnout.
• Minimize overuse injuries by playing multiple positions and different sports during the off-season.

With any luck, you’ll enjoy the fall sports season with little more than a few bumps and bruises.

Source:

Health Finder

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. is experiencing the biggest outbreak of West Nile virus since 2004 with Texas being the epicenter of the potentially deadly mosquito borne virus. Currently there are over 693 cases in the U.S. with the virus detected in 43 states.

Over 80% of the cases have been reported in six states: Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and California and almost half of all cases were reported in Texas.

It’s difficult to pinpoint why the virus is particularly active this year or why certain parts of the country have a higher number of cases.

Health officials say that a number of factors like weather, heat, precipitation, bird populations that may harbor the virus, mosquitoes that spread the virus, and human behavior can all contribute to West Nile outbreaks.

Prevention

The greatest risk for infection with West Nile virus typically occurs from June through September, with cases peaking in mid-August.

The best way to protect yourself from the West Nile virus is to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes, which often pick up the disease from infected birds. The CDC recommends the following steps to protect yourself:

• Use insect repellents when outside.
• Wear long sleeves and pants from dawn to dusk.
• Don't leave standing water outside in open containers, such as flowerpots, buckets and kiddie pools.
• Install or repair windows and door screens.
• Use air conditioning when possible.

Symptoms and Treatment

Most people (80%) infected with West Nile virus develop no or few symptoms, and the remainder may develop mild symptoms such as headache, joint pain, fever, skin rash and swollen lymph glands.

Less than 1 percent will develop neurological illnesses such as encephalitis or meningitis. People at greater risk for serious illness are those who are older than 50 and who have certain underlying medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes or high blood pressure.

Severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, loss of vision, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks.

There are no specific treatments for West Nile virus, only managing the symptoms until the virus runs its course.

If you are concerned about exposure to DEET and other pesticides, here are some great tips for safe and natural detoxification.

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CDC

Health Finder

Many health and nutrition experts question the methodology for determining the minimum recommended daily allowance (RDA) for many nutrients. In most cases, the RDA is based on the minimum amount of a nutrient necessary to prevent disease—not an amount to promote optimal health. This is why it is not unusual to see supplements containing many times more than the RDA – like 1,000% of the RDA.

A case in point is the RDA for vitamin C. According to Professor Balz Frei, director of the Linus Pauling Institute, the RDA for Vitamin C should be doubled to 200 milligrams per day for adults from the current levels of 75 mgs per day for women and 90 mgs per day for men.

This increase will ensure cell and tissue saturation without posing any risk and may yield significant health benefits, says Frei.

Current levels are dictated by the levels required to prevent scurvy -- the vitamin C deficiency disease.

At the current low RDAs, studies in the U.S. and Canada have found that about a quarter to a third of people are marginally deficient in vitamin C and up to 20% are severely deficient. If, as Frei suggests, the current RDAs are too low, then the actual number of people considered deficient would be significantly higher.

Importance of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that your body cannot create or store. Therefore, you must obtain it regularly from your diet. You need vitamin C for growth and repair of many tissues throughout your body, including skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. It is also needed for healing wounds and repairing and maintaining bones and teeth.

Vitamin C along with Vitamin E and Beta Carotene are among the body’s primary antioxidants. Antioxidants help block some of the damage caused by free radicals, substances that damage

DNA. It is thought that the build-up of free radicals over time may contribute to the aging process and other body damage.

Sources:

NutraIngredients

Linus Pauling Institute

A new study of women in China found that those who consumed the most cruciferous vegetables were 63 percent less likely to die of breast cancer and 35 percent less likely to experience a recurrence of the disease, than those who ate the least.

Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, mustard greens, collard greens, kale and arugula.

This study involved almost 5,000 women between 20 and 75 years old who were part of the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study. Researchers interviewed the women within six months of their diagnosis to record information about their diet, lifestyle and tumor stage. They also asked about their intake of cruciferous vegetables at 18 and 36 months after their diagnosis. On average, the women in the new study ate about 3 1/2 ounces a day of cruciferous vegetables.

Previous studies conducted in China, the United States and Sweden suggested that higher cruciferous vegetable intake could be linked with reduced risk of developing breast cancer, but the current research is among the first to examine women after a breast cancer diagnosis.

More Benefits

In addition to finding a reduced risk of dying of breast cancer or having it return, the researchers also found that women in the top quarter for cruciferous veggie consumption were 62 percent less likely to die of any cause than those in the bottom 25 percent. This supports previous research in which the same researchers found a link between cruciferous vegetable consumption and fewer deaths and less heart disease among healthy Chinese adults, suggesting that they may promote overall health.

Cruciferous vegetables are just one food proven to help prevent cancer, there’s four more in this article highlighting the Five All-Star Foods to Help Prevent Cancer.

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Health Finder